The change of scenery from Vietnam to the island of Borneo where Kuching is located was quite amazing. The whole time we were in Hanoi it seemed constantly gray outside (I'm not sure that was normal for this time of year or if it was due to pollution from the thousands of motorbikes), so it was a breath of fresh air (figuratively and literally) to arrive to sunny blue skies, an abundance of green spaces, and flowers everywhere. Pierre noted in his last blog about the multiple ethnic groups represented in Malaysia, and this also meant that the available food was equally as diverse. Within a short distance from our hotel, we could sample local Malay food (delicious, especially Sarawak Laksa), Thai, Indian, Chinese, Japanese and of course the ubiquitous KFC and Pizza Hut (those we did not partake in).
We really wanted to see orangutans, so we booked a tour to visit the Semenggoh Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre. The centre rescues animals that have been orphaned or illegally caught as pets, and the aim is to integrate them back into the wild. We quietly walked into the jungle (along with about 100 other not so quiet people) and waited patiently to catch a glimpse of these amazing creatures. Well, after a very hot half hour, we were told that we probably wouldn't see them. We were pretty excited to catch a very quick glimpse of a mother orangutan (well just her arm actually) on our way out of the centre, so we asked our guide to recommend somewhere else where we might have better luck.